Hot strip coiling machine



Nov. 7, 1939.- E. B. HUDSON HOT STRIP comma MACHINE Filed Feb. 28, 1938 H mw Q O Q mu w a. r =M w ww mu Q NW 3 w H (3 k E m. Q I|V| & fi .3 H m a N y. m .3 N W o Q INVENTOR. Earn/v 5. jYuaso/v.

Patented Nov. 7, 1939 UNITED ST TES PATENT OFFICE HOT STRIP COILING moms Application February 28, 1938, Serial No. 192,952 11 Claims. (01. 242-78) In' a copending application in the names of Edward N. Millan and myself, Serial No. 19,466, filed May 2, 1935, now Patent No. 2,150,934 of March 21, 1939, there has been described a type of hot coiling machine suitable, for example, for receiving at a very rapid rate hot strip material as produced by modern continuous rolling mills. The hot strip passing first through a throat is lead to a pair of-pinch rolls by which it is continuously fed to the coiler. The coil as it is being formed rests upon a pair of supporting rolls. There is a movable hood which may have a number of forms and which operates to confine the initial turns of the coil. After the formationof the coil the hood 1 is movable to accommodate the growth of the coil. After the coil is formed an ejector device pushes it off the supporting rolls and delivers it to a conveyor.

My present invention may be considered as an improvement upon this and other types of hot coilers. Reference is made to the copending case for a complete teaching of a type of coiler mecha nism to which my present invention may be applied, though it is not limited thereto. Such parts of the coiler organization as do not form limitations on my present invention have not been described in detail in the present specification, and in some instances in my drawing such elements have been indicated but without a showing of their mounting or means for actuating them. An object of the present invention is to provide a hot strip coiling machine which not only is capable of receiving and coiling strip at high linear speeds but also forms coils which are 1 tightly wrapped, particularly as to the last turn which is preformed so as to fit snugly against the coil.

Hitherto the art has found in practice that it is impracticable to use bending or forming rolls in I a coiling machine capable of receiving material at high speed for coiling. This is especially the case when the strip has a fishtail on the leading end. As a consequence, pinch rolls have been used in high speed coilers. However, when pinch rolls are employed, and when the strip is not curved to fit the coil, the coil is loose, the last wrap or turn of the strip is frequently not in contact with the coil, and considerable trouble and inconvenience is experienced in conveying and handling the coils. Thus in the state of the art prior to my work, coilers having pinch feed rolls operated at high speed, but produced undesirably loosely wrapped coils, whereas coilers having a bending feed roll arrangement produced a far a more satisfactory coil for handling but could not is made to the drawing whereim.

operate at high speeds and had very much less capacity. It is an object of my invention to combine the advantages of each type of coiler while eliminating the disadvantages of both.

I am able to do this because it is not necessary 5 to bend the first turns of a coil in the process of coiling; the outer turns or wraps in a finished coil will hold the inner wraps in place. In the practice of my invention, therefore, I have devised and employ a machine which provides a pinch roll 0 feed to start the strip at high linear speeds, and means whereby, as soon as the strip is safely started into a proper coil the feed is changed to a three-roll bending type of feed. The changeover could be accomplished by manual means if desired; but it is advantageous to accomplish it automatically.

When forming a coil, an outside flexible hood is usually employed to lead the strip into its first wrap or turn. As the coil grows this hood is moved to accommodate the growth. This outside hood (of which a number of types are available and which does not constitute a limitation upon my invention) may be employed, by reason of its outward movement, to change the feed of my machine from a two-roll feeder pinch type to a threeroll feeder bending type, thus automatically accomplishing the changeover. In my invention I prefer to accomplish the timing of the change by means of a suitable cam connected to the hood.

However, as will be clear, the changeover may be accomplished by means independent of the hood and actuated directly by the coil as it grows, actuated in accordance with the predetermined time cycle, or otherwise actuated, as may be desired.

These and other objects of my invention which will be set forth hereinafter or willbe apparent to one skilled in the art upon reading this specification, I accomplish by that certain construction and arrangement of parts of which I shall now describe an exemplary embodiment. Reference Figure 1 is a sectional view of a coilar operating in what I term the receiving cycle, 1. e. at the start of the coil forming operation, with the feed of the pinch roll type. a V

Fig. 2 is a sectional view through the exemplary 1 machine in the coiling-cycle showing a bending type of feed;

In the exemplary embodiment of my apparatus the coil is formed above the feeding mechanism and rests during'formation on a pair of supporting rolls. For the feed I provide three rolls in pyramid formation, two located beneath the strip and one located above. Suitable actuation of the r latter roll will cause it to assume either a, position opposite one of the first mentioned rolls so as to form with that roll a pinch feeding pair, or to assume a position along a line intermediate the first mentioned rolls so as to form therewith a bending combination, all as will be more fully set forth hereinafter.

In the drawing, the strip I is shown as moving to the left over a pair of rolls 4 and 5 and beneath a roll 3, which form the feeding combination hereinabove referred to. The rolls 4 and 5 will be understood to be resiliently mounted in the frame of the machine. A. guide member ID islocatedto the left of the roll 5; and adjacent this member is another member II, which also serves as a guide in the solid line position shown in Fig. 1, and leads the strip from the feeding roll combination past one of the supporting rolls 6. An articulated hood 8 (for which a large number of equivalent structures may be employed) may be pivoted in my machine as at 9. This hood in the starting position of the machine conducts the initial wrap or turn of the strip in a circular path past another supporting roll I and causes the strip to start to wind up on itself to form a coil. Further feeding of the strip, as will be readily understood, will cause the coil to grow as it rests .on the supporting rollers 6 and I. It will be understood that these rolls are suitably mounted in the machine audit will be further understood that drives are preferably provided for all rolls, as is known in collars of this general type. Again, as is known, the rolls 4 and 5 are preferably made adjustable as to position by suitable means so that the machine may be used for coiling different gauge of strip.

The roll 3 has essentially two positions, one of which is shown in Fig. 1 and the other of which is shown in Fig. 2. When the roll is in the position shown in Fig 1 it acts with roll 4 as a pinch combination which feeds strip into the coiling means at high linear speeds. When the roll takes the position shown in Fig. 2 and indicated at 3' in this figure, it acts as a bending combination, coacting with rolls 4 and 5, as will be clear.

In the exemplaryembodiment of my machine the roll 3 is moved to its various positions automatically. I have illustrated one way of accomplishing this. The roll 3 is mounted at its ends in bearing members I6, which in turn are slidably guided in ways in the frame of the machine so as to cause the roll to assume the two desired positions when the bearings are moved along these ways. Beneath the strip I journal a shaft I4 transversely in my machine. Near the ends of this shaft levers I3 are non-rotatably attached to it and these levers in turn are connected to the bearings IB for the roll 3 by means of links H. A lever I5 is connected to the shaft at a suitable place and this lever in turn is connected to the piston rod of a fluid cylinder I2. At or near the pivot point 9 of the hood 8 I provide on an extension of the first linkage of the hood (or a member attached to it) a cam I9. Against this cam is a cam roller or follower 20 which is connected by a connecting rod 2I to the piston 22 of a four-way valve of known type, indicated at I8. This valve has connection as at 23 with a suitable source of fluid pressure, e. g. an air compressor; and is also connected by means of conduits 24 and 25 to the fluid cylinder l2, one connection being made to the cylinder at each side of the-piston, as will be understood.

When the hood is in the position shown in Fig. 1 at the start of the coiling operation, the cam I9 has actuated the valve I8 in such a way that the piston is forced to the left by fluid pressure through the conduit 25, the conduit 24 being vented. Thus the roll 3 is drawn to the right and coacts with the roll 4, as shown, to form a high speed pinch feeding combination. When the hood 8 has opened a certain distance as indicated in Fig. 2, the cam I9 will have actuated the valve I8 so as to vent the conduit 25 and admit fluid under pressure to the conduit 24. This forces the piston inthe cylinder I2 to the right, and the roll 3 is moved by the means explained to the position shown at 3 in this figure, where it coacts with rolls 4 and 5 to make a bending type feeding combination. After the coil has been properly started a bending type feeding combination can coil the strip as rapidly as a pinch roll feeding combination, and has the additional advantages, as already indicated, of forming a tight coil.

At the conclusion of the coiling operation the hood is raised and the member I I may by suitable means he moved to the position shown at II in Fig. 1, so as to eject the coil from the coiling apparatus. Such an arrangement is fully described in the copcnding application hereinabove referred to. It forms no limitation, of course, upon the present invention. Receiving and conveying equipment such as that described in connection with the copending, application may also be employed with the present coiler. Various types of means for conducting the strip initially to the feeding combination comprising rolls 3, 4, and

5 may also be employed. Suitable mechanism is described and illustrated in the said copcnding application, but other types may also be employed.

Modifications in my invention may be made without departing from the spirit of it.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a coiling apparatus, the combination of a pair of rolls located upon ore side of a strip to be coiled and a third roll located on the opposite side of said strip, said third roll being movable from a position in which it co-acts with one of the first mentioned rolls to form a pinch feeding combination, to a position in which it presses the strip against both of the first mentioned rolls to form a bending type feeding combination for said strip.

2. In a coiling apparatus, the combination of a pair of rolls located upon one side of a strip to be coiled and a third roll located on the opposite side of said strip, said third roll being movable from a position in which it co-acts with one of the first mentioned rolls to form a pinch feeding combination, to a position in which it presses the strip against both of the first mentioned rolls to form a bending type feeding combination for said strip, and means for causing said roll to assume the first mentioned position at the start 01 a coiling operation and to assume the second mentioned position prior to the conclusion of a coiling operation.

3. In a coiling machine, a frame, a pair of rolls journaled in said frame to lie on one side of a strip being coiled, a third roll movably journaled in said frame to lie on the opposite side of said strip, said roll being movably journaled in such a way that it can be caused selectively to assume either a position of co-action with one of the first mentioned rolls to form a pinch roll feeding pair or to a position of coaction with both the first mentioned rolls to form a bending feed roll combination, and means for moving said roll from one position to the other.

4. In a coiling machine, a frame, a pair, of rolls journaled in said frame to lie on one side of a strip being coiled, a third roll movably journaled insaid frame to lie on the opposite side of said strip, said roll being movably. journaled in such a way that it can be caused selectively to assume either a position of coaction with one of the first mentioned rolls to form a pinch roll feeding pair or to a position of coaction with both the first mentioned rolls to form'a bending feed roll combination, and means [for moving said 011 from one positiomto the other, said means comprising means automatically actuated by a coil being formed in said machine.

5. In a coiling machine, a frame, a pair of' rolls journaled in said frame to lie on one side of a strip being coiled, a third roll movably journaled in said frame to lie on the opposite side of said strip, said roll being movably journaled in such away that it can be caused sefor moving said roll from one position to the other, said means comprising means for mov-' ing said roll, motive means for said moving means, ajmember bearing on a coil being formed in said machine and a connection between said member and said motive means.

6. In' a coiling machine, feeding means arrangedto form selectively a pinch roll type feeding means or a bending roll type feeding means, means for forming a cbil of metal and means for changing from one type of feeding means to-the other during the formation of said coil.

7. In a coiling machine, feeding means are. ranged to form selectively a pinch roll type feeding means or a bending roll type feeding means, means for forming a coil ofmetal and means for changing from one type of feeding means to the other during the formation of said "coil, said last mentioned means being automatically actu-' ated by the growth means.

8. In combination in a coiling machine, coil.

supporting" means, means for confining the initial turns of a coil to coil shape, and feeding of a coil in said coiling position to the other, and a connection between said last mentioned means and said confining means.

9. In combination in a coiling machine, coil supporting means, means for confining the initial turns of a coil to coil shape, and feeding means-for feeding material to be coiled into said means, said feeding means comprising a pair of rolls lbcated upon one side of material to .be coiled and a roll. located on the other side thereof, said last mentioned roll being movable so that it can assume either a position of coaction with one of the rolls on the opposite side of said material to form a pinch roll feeding pair or a position of coaction with both of said rolls to form a bending roll feeding combination, means for moving said roll from one position to the other, and a,connection between said last mentioned means and said confining means, said confining means comprising a hood with at least one movable part, said moving means for said roll comprising a fluid pressure cylinder havirig avalve, cam means adapted to be moved by the movable part of said hood and bination, means for moving said roll from one a connection between said cam means and said valve.

- 10. In a .coiling mechanism, coil supporting rolls, a movable hood and feeding means for said coiling means comprising a pair of rolls located upon one side of the material to be coiled a bending combination, a shaft, levers on said I shaft, links connecting said levers with said journal means, another lever on said shaft, mo-

tive means connected with said lever and a connection between said motive means and said hood.

11. In a coiling mechanism, coil supporting rolls, a movable hood and feeding means for said coiling means comprising a pair of rolls located upon one side of the material to be coiled and a roll located on the opposite side, movable journal means for causing said last mentionedroll to assume either a position of coaction with one 'of the oppositely located rolls to form a pinch roll feeding pair or a position of coaction with both of said oppositely'located rolls to form a bending combination, a shaft,

levers on said shaft, links connecting said levers with said journal means, another lever on said shaft, motive means connected with said lever and a roll located-on the opposite side, movable and a connection between said motive means and said hood, said motive means comprising a fluid pressure cylinder having a valve, a cam, means for causing said hood to actuate said cam and a connection between said cam and said valve. i

EDWINB. HUDSON. 

